1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to virtual environments, and more particularly to a method, system, and computer program for providing a single virtual lobby interface for accessing and managing a user's virtual world inventories from across different virtual world accounts and controlling user entry into the different virtual world accounts.
2. Description of the Related Art
A virtual world, also commonly referred to as 3D Internet or a virtual universe, is a computer-based simulated environment in which one or more users traverse and interact within the environment. In a virtual world, a user is typically provided with an avatar to represent the user within the virtual world, where the user and other users can see the avatar. Virtual worlds are often simulated in a two or three-dimensional environment, including graphics, video, text, and other representations, which may, for example, resemble the real world, represent a fictitious world, or depict a gaming world.
Some virtual world providers allow a user to collect an inventory of items the user has bought, sold, created, interacted with, or traded during the user's interactions within the particular virtual world. For example, a virtual world called Second Life (Second Life is a registered trademark of Linden Research Inc.) is supported on the Second Life platform and supports a user collecting an inventory of items in association with the user's virtual world account with Second Life.
Over time, a user may collect a large number of inventory items in association with a single virtual world account. In addition, over time, a user may register for and maintain multiple virtual accounts with one or more virtual world providers, where each account has its own inventory that is only accessible to the user by the user separately logging into each virtual world account through a separate interface specified by each virtual world provider.